KADBEAM, BBYDI Forge Partnership to Keep Vulnerable Girls in School
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM) and the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI) have commenced discussions on a strategic partnership to improve girls’ access to, retention in and return to education across Kaduna State.
The partnership consultation, held on September 7, 2026, in Kaduna, followed BBYDI’s planned commencement of a three-year girls’ education project, supported by the Malala Fund through its Education Champion Network, across 12 local government areas in the state.
Discussions focused on aligning BBYDI’s intervention with KADBEAM’s existing work in education accountability, budget tracking, community monitoring, evidence generation, advocacy and second-chance education.
Both organisations agreed that interventions should strengthen existing community structures, including School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs), Community-Based Management Committees (CBMCs), Community Learning Clubs, traditional institutions and faith leaders, rather than establish parallel structures.
Key challenges identified included school dropout and re-entry, the transition from JSS3 to SS1, early marriage, pregnancy and young motherhood, poverty, stigma, menstrual hygiene, WASH, unsafe learning environments and poor implementation of existing education policies.
The meeting also underscored the need for evidence-based advocacy, with particular emphasis on tracking the entire budget cycle—from allocation and release of funds to utilisation and actual implementation.
A major outcome of the consultation was an agreement to work towards developing a joint education accountability and scorecard framework, strengthen community-level data collection and engage relevant government institutions, including the Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee on Education.
The organisations also agreed to explore Community Learning Clubs as an alternative pathway for children who are unable to immediately return to formal schooling.
As immediate steps, BBYDI will provide its project and partnership documents, including details of the 12 target LGAs, while KADBEAM will share relevant budget-tracking, monitoring and scorecard tools.
The two organisations will subsequently review the materials and work towards formalising the partnership through a project-specific Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
According to KADBEAM Secretary, Simeon Olatunde, the consultation provides a foundation for combining KADBEAM’s education accountability and community-monitoring experience with BBYDI’s proposed girls’ education intervention to improve inclusive and equitable education outcomes for vulnerable girls across Kaduna State.
